DAYTON — The Wright State women's soccer program faces a road test against Detroit Mercy on Thursday, October 6, at Titan Field. The matchup between the top two schools in the Horizon League standings will start at 7 p.m. and stream on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.
MATCH INFORMATION
Thursday, October 6 - 7 p.m. -
Watch -
Live Stats
NUMBER 1
The Raiders sit atop the Horizon League standings with 11 points, two points ahead of Detroit Mercy for second place. Wright State is one of only two teams unbeaten in conference play with a 3-0-2 record, its best five-game start since 2016.
LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a 1-1 tie against Cleveland State at home. The Raiders outshot CSU 16-9 overall, which included a 7-2 advantage in shots on frame.
Marcella Sizer highlighted WSU's efforts offensively with an equalizer goal at the 77-minute mark, the third in her last two games.
Olivia Mace added her fourth assist of the year, while goalkeeper
Jessika Seward held an opponent to one or fewer goals for the seventh time this season.
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy sits second in the Horizon League standings with a 3-2 record, highlighted by shutout victories over Northern Kentucky, Youngstown State, and Green Bay. Abbey Lodato has paced the Titan attack with a team-leading eight points on two goals and four assists. Goalkeeper Jazmine Scott has tallied five wins and three shutouts in 11 starts.
HISTORY VS. UDM
Wright State has gone 16-13-5 in 34 career meetings against Detroit Mercy. The Titans handed WSU a 2-1 defeat last season, as UDM scored the game-winning goal with less than 20 seconds remaining in regulation.
Josie Krupp netted a goal in the 55th minute in the loss. Krupp also scored in Wright State's 2-1 victory over the Titans during the 2020 Covid season.
OFFENSE IN RHYTHM
WSU holds top-three conference marks in several offensive categories, including penalty kicks (2nd, .667), shot accuracy (2nd, .555), scoring offense (3rd, 1.67), total points (3rd, 55), total goals (3rd, 20), total assists (3rd, 15), points per game (3rd, 4.58), shots on goal per game (3rd, 6.33), assists per game (3rd, 1.25), and corner kicks per game (3rd, 4.75).
FIRST YEAR MAGIC
Marcella Sizer has shined in her first season with the Raiders, as she leads the team in goals (5) and points (11) on just 14 shots. The Youngstown State transfer has tallied a League-high four goals in conference-only action, highlighted by three equalizers in her last two games. Sizer recorded a season-high two goals at IUPUI, leading to Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors.
PRECISION AT ITS FINEST
As a team, the Raiders rank 18th in the country and second in the Horizon League in shot accuracy (.555).
Lauren Borchert has compiled a team-leading 18 shots on frame, while
Marcella Sizer is 10-for-14 (.714) in shot-on-goal attempts.
PACING THE ATTACK
Lauren Borchert sits second in the HL in shot accuracy (.581), shots on goal (18), and shots on goal per game (1.50) while also ranking fourth in total shots (31) and eighth in goals (3). The junior midfielder has tallied multiple shots in 11 matches, including a season-high four shots in WSU's 1-0 win at Miami (OH). She has netted a goal in three out of Wright State's four home games, occurring against Central Michigan, Milwaukee, and Green Bay.
MEETING EXPECTATIONS
Olivia Mace has tallied a team-leading four assists over 12 matches, good for second in the conference. The Centerville, Ohio native entered the 2022 season with lofty expectations after earning Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors last year. Mace has logged a program-leading 2,450 minutes over 30 games (26 starts) dating back to the 2021 campaign.
BREAKOUT YEAR
Kaylin Helinski has enjoyed a breakout senior season for the Raiders, as she is tied for third on the team in points (5) and goals (2). The Bellville, Ohio native entered the year with three career goals and no assists over 42 games (26 starts).
DEFENSE SHOWING UP
Wright State has totaled three shutout wins through 12 matches, its most in a season since 2019. The Raiders last notched four-plus shutout victories during the 2017 campaign with nine.
BRICK WALL
Jessika Seward earned Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her collegiate career on August 29 after leading WSU to back-to-back shutouts. In Wright State's 1-0 victory at Miami (OH), she notched five saves, including four in the second half to preserve the shutout. The Navarre, Fla. native, added three saves, all in the first half, in the Raiders' 3-0 win against Central Michigan at home. On the season, Seward ranks fifth in the HL in shutouts (3), saves (43), and saves per game (3.58).
SHOWING OFF DEPTH
Fifteen Raiders have appeared in all 12 games, including four newcomers.
Kaylee Pham, a freshman out of nearby Springboro, has logged a team-best 1071 minutes over 12 starts. Five individuals in Pham,
Kaylin Helinski,
Olga Massombo,
Jessika Seward, and
Lauren Borchert, have started every game.
CAREER LEADERS (at Wright State only)
Goals
Josie Krupp - 11
Michelle Rings,
Olga Massombo, &
Lauren Borchert - 6
Marcella Sizer &
Kaylin Helinski - 5
Assists
Josie Krupp - 7
Michelle Rings &
Olga Massombo - 6
Olivia Mace - 4
Points
Josie Krupp - 29
Michelle Rings &
Olga Massombo - 18
Lauren Borchert - 15
Saves
Jessika Seward - 146
Erin Baker - 27
Kiera Sarka - 6
Games
Josie Krupp - 74
Michelle Rings - 56
Kaylin Helinski - 54
Starts
Kaylin Helinski - 38
Michelle Ringss &
Olga Massombo - 37
Lauren Borchert &
Jessika Seward - 33
RETURNING TALENT
Wright State returns 10 players who logged nine or more starts and 700-plus minutes, including a pair of All-Horizon League performers in
Olga Massombo and
Olivia Mace. The trio of
Madison Keller,
Taylor Lauck, and
Josie Krupp are in the midst of their fifth year with the Raiders.
Massombo, Krupp,
Maddie Mitchell, and
Michelle Rings found the back of the net multiple times a season ago, while
Lauren Borchert tied for second on the team with two assists. Mace was the lone Raiders to appear and start in all 18 matches, totaling a team-leading 1,578 minutes.
Jessika Seward is in her third season as WSU's goalkeeper, where she has tallied 146 saves and three shutouts in 33 career starts.
MEET THE COACHES
The Raiders are led by second-year head coach
Travis Sobers, a longtime assistant coach at WSU before taking reigns on the sidelines last summer. The former Wright State men's soccer standout player helped the Raiders to victories over Marshall, Akron, IUPUI, Cleveland State, and UIC in 2021. Assistant coach
Abbey Frail joined the Raiders in January 2022 after two seasons on the staff at her alma mater Wingate University. Last fall, as interim head coach, she guided the Bulldogs to an 11-6 overall record.
WELCOME TO THE FAM
WSU welcomes 10 first-year students and two transfers to this season's squad.
Marcella Sizer joined the Raiders after three seasons at fellow Horizon League school Youngstown State, where she totaled 23 points on 10 goals — two game-winners — and three assists over three seasons.
OHIO STRONG
Wright State's 2022 roster features 20 players from Ohio. Three Raiders in
Elise Canter,
Ashley Vaughn, and
Heidi Orloff came to WSU from nearby Beavercreek High School. Another three individuals in
Annika Samborski,
Brandi Greenlee, and
Olivia Mace prepped at Centerville High School.
PRESEASON POLL
The Raiders were picked sixth in the annual Horizon League preseason poll, which the league's 11 head coaches voted on. Oakland topped the conference poll while defending HL tournament champion Milwaukee was close behind in the second.
UP NEXT
The Raiders will host Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday, October 9, followed by a road meeting against Robert Morris on Thursday, October 13.
